All Whites vs Qatar

Monday 19 June at 6pm (local) / Tuesday 20 June at 4am (NZT)

Sonnenseestadion, Ritzing, Austria

Following their defeat to Sweden last week, the All Whites will be looking to bounce back against the Asian Cup champions Qatar in Vienna. The team showed great attacking intent despite the loss so will be aiming to build on that style whilst looking to tighten up defensively. 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts are ranked 39 places higher than New Zealand and come into the game after a 2-1 win over Jamaica four days ago. Qatar also have the luxury of more time together on the training pitch where as Darren Bazeley’s side had to travel to Vienna from Stockholm so only have one full session before the match.


What Darren Bazeley said: 

“[on Qatar] They are a different team to Sweden, they aren’t as effective in that transition moment, but they have some different strengths as well. It’s something that we have to be aware of, every game is different, every opposition is different. We want to be pretty constant in what we are doing now. There are certain elements of our game that we really want to improve on, and learn from in every game, so that later in the year, later down the track, we can get to the big games and be really effective.”
 

Likely Team:

Interim All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley is set to stick with the same 4-3-3 formation deployed against Sweden but hinted at the pre-match press conference there could be changes to his starting 11. 

A few players in the squad are carrying minor injuries but all are available for selection.  

Midfielder Clayton Lewis has returned home for personal reasons. 


Player to Watch: Almoez Ali

The Sudan-born striker is a huge goal threat for Qatar with 42 goals in 88 games. The 26-year-old won the golden boot at the last Asian Cup as well as scoring against Paraguay when Qatar played as a guest team at the Copa America. 


Where to Watch: 

New Zealand the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport NZ. 


Article added: Monday 19 June 2023